There has been much talk in the industry about AI adoption—are we too fast, too slow, or is it too early to tell? Michael Stocks, Squarespace’s head of marketing in Asia Pacific, believes that Australia’s AI adoption has been faster than many expected.
B&T sat down with Stocks to pick his brain on why and what that means for the future of Aussie marketing.
B&T: What changes do you foresee AI making in the Aussie media and marketing landscape? Has AI been implemented slower or faster than you expected?
Michael Stocks: The adoption of AI by the Australian marketing and media industry has been faster than many people expected.
One of the most notable impacts of AI is on content creation and distribution. AI-powered tools are supporting Australians in creating websites, developing web copy, generating images, and building a brand identity that’s uniquely tailored to the person using it. In marketing and media, we’ve seen AI provide a solid starting point for creating email campaigns and drafting product descriptions. AI tools are also enabling a new wave of creativity for small business owners, who might not be the typical copywriters or website designers by trade.
We’re already seeing Australian entrepreneurs turn to Blueprint AI to help craft stunning, fully customised websites that reflect their unique brand identity. Using the guided design system, small business owners—who have to wear many hats in their business—can create fully bespoke websites from scratch by simply answering a few questions about their goals, industry and brand personality.
B&T: How does it differ from international landscapes? Or are the trends we’re seeing similar globally?
MS: Businesses worldwide are increasingly adopting AI-powered tools to automate tasks, make data-driven decisions and personalise content. Locally, when we surveyed 1,000 Aussies, we found that the primary motivations behind AI usage were to make difficult tasks more manageable and help complete repetitive tasks with ease.
Since launching the initial version of Blueprint AI last year, the tool has been immensely popular in Australia, with 1 in 3 Squarespace websites being built using the technology. This is significant given that more Australians are building websites on Squarespace than ever before.
What’s clear in Australia and internationally is that AI is empowering a new era of entrepreneurs to build, manage and scale their businesses with greater efficiency and more personalisation.
B&T: How will it impact creativity?
MS: At Squarespace, we believe AI can be used as a tool to help unlock creativity, not replace it.
While we’ve long invested in intuitive tools that amplify customers’ creativity, we’ve been careful to only incorporate new technologies in ways that help our customers achieve their goals. Our product suite is focused on amplifying creative potential to support our customers as they scale.
Ultimately, AI democratises design for small business owners as well as helps seasoned creatives unlock new ideas. It will help all of us produce better work and give us more time to focus on the work that matters.
